Jesse Galef and Bill Donahue respond on Fox Newsiness to the Association of Humanist Association’s ‘Just Be Good for Goodness’ Sake’ ad campaign. (insert imaginary embedded video box here, with a ‘fox’ logo on it and click here-4:08min.)
transcript
ATHEISTS LAUNCH “GODLESS CAMPAIGN.
November 11, 2008
The American Humanist Association launched today what it calls its “Godless Holiday Campaign.” Its ad in the New York Times and Washington Post reads, “Why believe in god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” The same ad will appear on Metro buses in Washington, D.C.Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, responded as follows:“It is a shame that an organization that worships nothing would be forced to crib its ‘Holiday Campaign’ ad from a Christmas song about St. Nick. More important is the reasoning employed by Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. He says that ‘Morality doesn’t come from religion. It’s a set of values embraced by individuals and society based on empathy, fairness and experience.’
Jesse Galef of the American Humanist Association and http://www.whybelieveinagod.org and Bill Donahue of the Catholic League have differing views of the purpose and merits of the campaign. Jesse Galef believes in just being good for goodness’ sake. Bill Donahue believes you can be truly morally good only if you are a Christian.
Donahue leaves Galef momentarily speechless when he likens secularists’ consciences to Jeffrey Daumer’s. In graphic detail.
Bill, what on earth have you been reading ? I don’t think it is your Bible. Wonder what movies are on your Netflix cue.
(from video transcript linked above)
NAUERT: OK. Bill Donohue, can we be good for the sake of being good?
BILL DONOHUE, PRESIDENT, THE CATHOLIC LEAGUE FOR RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL RIGHTS: Certainly, we can as individuals, not as societies. And quite frankly, there’s an agenda here. They always choose Christians, don’t they? If these guys had any guts they’d choose Ramadan and then explain it to the Muslims.Quite frankly, we have had a rash of militant secularist activities through books, through movies. Last in Lansing, Michigan, gay terrorists stormed a church, a Christian church.
(my link-and a note–isn’t it a church a ‘church’ because it is Christian? Rather than a Christian temple or Christian mosque?? The President of the Catholic League doesn’t know there are different names for houses of worship??…I give up.)
Donahue continues blenderizing-
Look, these guys are sticking their nose in where they don’t belong. And this is a cheap way of trying to take a shot at Christmas. They don’t have any guts. If they did, as I said, they would go after the Muslims.
GALEF: Don’t belong? This is our society, too.
NAUERT: OK. What about that, Jesse?
GALEF: I think it’s wrong to say these people are not putting where their nose where they don’t belong. This is our society, too. We care about how we treat each other. We care about the perception. And we think it’s very important that everybody in our society understands that even if you don’t believe in God, you can be good.And this is the message we’re spreading. It is something that shouldn’t be controversial, that I’m sure you agree with. But to say that we don’t belong, you know, in society is wrong.
NAUERT: All right. You know, Bill, they have their first amendment rights. They’ve got to say what they want.
DONOHUE: Right. That’s right. They shouldn’t be profoundly ignorant, though. Sociology 101 says that morality has always been grounded in religion. They are trying to say, "No, it is grounded in individuals."Well, Jeffrey Dahmer had a conscience, too, Heather. And you know what? He destroyed his victims and then ate them. We saw what happened with militant secularism in the 20th century. Over 150 million dead because of this man’s philosophy — Pol Pot, Hitler, Mao and Stalin …
GALEF: You know, you can’t go back and forth.
(CROSSTALK)DONOHUE: The only reason he has freedom of speech is because Christianity is the foundation of liberty in this country and western civilization. The Judeo-Christian ethos allows that this to be alive and not dead, as he would if he had voiced the same sentiments someplace else.
NAUERT: All right. Jesse, we have a few seconds left. We’ll give you the last word.
GALEF: All right. It’s important that you understand that, you know – it’s important to put our society first, our fellowmen first, not necessarily put whatever God tells you to do first. Visit our Web site, find out more, www.WhyBelieveInaGod.org.
NAUERT: All right. I suspect that we will all be hearing a lot more about this in the months to come as Christmas is here. The decorations aren’t even up yet, but we are already talking about Christmas.Bill Donohue and Jesse Galef, thank you so much.
I don’t think they were talking about Christmas, but then it is Bill Donahue. I don’t know of anyone that can follow his logic. Maybe some members of the Catholic League Advisory Board-scroll way down the page-a veritable wasp nest of talent.
A few of the Advisory Board members:
Media analyst L. Brent Bozell III, nephew of William F. Buckley.
Radio host and syndicated columnist Linda Chavez.
You might remember her. The anti-Union nominee for the Department of Labor?Pundit and author Dinesh D’Souza.
In 1981, D’Souza published the names of officers of the Gay Student Alliance in an article for The Dartmouth Review, including the names of those who were still closeted.[5]
Prior to his marriage in 1992, D’Souza had relationships with two well-known female conservatives, Laura Ingraham, a nationally-syndicated radio commentator to whom he was engaged but never married, and best-selling conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter.[8]
During his career, D’Souza picked up the nickname "Distort D’Newza" from his more vocal critics.[citation needed] Although not flattering, he actually finds the nickname amusing. "I think I’m the one who thought of it," he told Spy magazine in 1989. "I can’t remember the exact origins of Distort D’Newza, but I was very proud of it when it came out."[9]
Charming.
Multi-jurisdictional Alan Keyes.
National Review Washington editor, commentator and author Kate O’Beirne
Just a few of the worker wasps. The rest are listed at the link above the list, along with the members of the Board of Directors.
I do wonder if he speaks on behalf of the entire Board. In Modern Times of selective editing, what he said they really want could be misconstrued-
…treat Catholics as if we were Gays and then we’ll be very happy…
What Donahue brings to the table is incendiary pretzel logic. Tries to derail any discourse concerning pro-choice rights, stem cell research and other important issues in a continuing quest to keep anyone from meeting near the middle. His purpose is to keep the train derailed.
After all, 15-year-olds, they go to abortionists. They get their babies killed without parental consent. The new Puritans [those criticizing The Passion of the Christ] don’t seem to worry about that. -snip-
(cont’d)
This same guy [Dean Hamer] came up with this idea of the gay gene. I remember when that conversation was going on. Gays were all of a sudden worrying if people would start aborting kids when they found out the DNA suggested the kid might be gay or God forbid, we’d run out of little gay kids, so all of a sudden, they became pro-life. [MSNBC, Scarborough Country, 12/14/04]
Wait A Minute. I’m starting to follow his logic. I think i can do it. Did he just say that ‘Teh Gay’ is genetic? And there will be more gay babies? Bill wants Catholics to want gay babies in order to stop abortion! He should be for stem cell research-then scientists can discover a way to fix it inutero! Can you pray away genetic markers? Genetic predispositions? Yes? In that case, can he pray away my freckles? I don’t look like myself if I wear foundation. Drastic change, erase that gene and I can be like Greta but without the surgery. But I was told they are ‘angel kisses’, so, don’t pray for me yet. What does he need ‘prayed away’?
Bill is not a happy Christian. I know many who are happy. Content. They are patient, magnanimous and most of all giving. They would never speak to a fellow human being in a rank, dismissive and violent manner. And most assuredly not while publicly representing their organized religion.
Donahue needs a chat with the Church Lady or Sister Mary Elephant. He should listen to them.
Bill Donahue said Atheists can’t successfully promote the true meaning of goodness through a secular megaphone, that their aim to inspire goodness in us doesn’t hold the same weight or sincerity because they aren’t Christians.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. No, Virginia, he is not Bill Donahue . And Virginia, some practicing Christians acknowledge Santa. Some make people happy all over the world singing about him. Some remind us by their example what it means to be compassionate and tolerant. Some don’t.
Christian or not-
We can just be good for goodness’ sake.
Yes We Can
(note-I chose to use links to Donahue’s vast casual use of deeply offensive comments rather than use quotes. Firedoglake is a family blog.)
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I’m an atheist and happy to be one. Personally, I think all religions are bullshit but I equally think that organizations made up of Atheists are equally full of shit. My atheism is mine and I really don’t give a damn whether people celebrate Christmas or any other festival. For me, there’s a difference between the window dressing of religions and an attempt to shove their notions down my throat by legislating intolerance or any other nonsense. Christmas trees or whatever it is that other religions adorn their apartments with don’t bother me even if they are in a public place. The Nativity scene is a quaint anachronism and doesn’t bother me one damn bit.
I’m an agnostic, and okay with that. But I believe Death (in Hogfather) when he says that people need to believe in small things there is no evidence for, such as Hogfathers and Tooth Fairies, in order to believe in larger things, such as Justice and Hope. If we want to get past arbitrary abstractions, well, okay. But it will take some work.
Donohue is one of those people who can’t stand the idea that other people can be happy while being different from him. He also doesn’t understand that he doesn’t speak for all RCs, or in fact for anyone but himself.
Donohue has as much power as the media is willing to give him. The fact that they run to get a quote from him (rather than the Cardinal of New York) shows exactly why he’s absorbed in his own self-importance. The Catholic Church is as much to blame for allowing a bully and snake oil salesman to do their dirty work, allowing them to put on a more serene public face.
Donohue is an old man who farts too much in church. I’ve seen them all my life as a R.C. He screams and rants because he suffers from a mental illness.
Carl Jung posits in “Answer to Job” that Job was put in the unenviable position of lecturing God on morality. That Job actually could inform God on morality. Apparently God hasn’t learned much in the last 3,000 years if we have to listen to Donohue.
But I don’ think Jeffry Dahmer can hold a candle to Donohue’s favorite deity. Does Donohue’s God eat what he kills? Even Ted Nugent does that, but no one holds him up as a shining example.